Interviews

Interview: Puppetry, Clowning, and Playfulness

Paul Barnhill discusses The Tale of Nobody Nose

Goofus Theatre has been delighting audiences of all ages with their unique brand of visual theatre since 2012. Known for their playful and imaginative non-verbal approach, the company combines puppetry, clowning, and fantastical storytelling to create unforgettable experiences.

This winter and spring, they’re embarking on a nine-venue tour across the UK, bringing their latest production The Tale of Nobody Nose to family-friendly spaces. We spoke with Paul Barnhill, Artistic Director and performer, to learn more about the show, its inspiration, and the magic of puppetry that captivates audiences of all ages.


Great to meet you Paul. You’re embarking on a tour – so where are you taking the show?
We are playing a nine-venue tour this winter and spring, opening at Hullabaloo in Darlington, followed by Guiseley Theatre in Leeds, Half Moon Theatre in London, The Whitaker in Rossendale, Rochdale Town Hall, Norwich Puppet Theatre, Newhampton Arts Centre in Wolverhampton, Smethwick Puppet Festival, and finally the Encore Festival at Crewe Lyceum. All these venues are great family spaces, perfect for our work.

What can audiences expect?
An anarchic, playful, fantastical, non-verbal journey full of puppetry, images, silliness, and imaginative storytelling.

What inspired the creation of the show?
We devised the show as a team, starting with a series of idea headings and images. It has a basic, loose structure but constantly changes depending on our artists’ input and skills. We’re inspired by many companies with a passion for clowning, mask work, puppetry, and play, particularly for family audiences of all ages.

How do you approach the devising process?
We work very quickly – just two weeks – and begin the devising process with props, puppets, and set ready to go. The performance is always growing and changing as it plays.

What is your favourite element of the show?
The reactions from mixed-age audiences when the first puppet moment begins. It is constantly fascinating to me how audiences respond to puppets – how they are willing so quickly to play the game of allowing their imagination to fully commit to something they know isn’t real. It never fails to be truly magical.

How important is audience interaction in your work?
It’s absolutely essential. All our work at Goofus is continually played to the audience – they are everything to us. As clowns, performers, and puppeteers, we constantly seek interaction and play. The audience is everything.

What do you hope the audience takes away from the show?
I hope they feel they’ve had a real experience – something different that allows their imaginations to have space and, above all, fun. Visual theatre is demanding on an audience. You have to work harder to interpret what’s happening, and every individual interpretation will be slightly different. That’s the beauty of it. I love hearing audience responses as they connect and discover moments.

Who do you imagine enjoying the show the most?
Hopefully, all ages will find different moments of enjoyment. There’s something for everyone. What’s great about visual theatre is that it allows the audience to be writers of the story. They interpret certain images and moments individually, making their own narrative. With text-based work, you don’t get that option. Text often provides too many answers, which, while brilliant, can sometimes feel excluding, overwritten, or, at its worst, boring.

What’s the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show, and how did it come to be part of the production?
Crab claws. I’d always wanted to dance with these on… Luckily, we venture under the sea, and at last, I had a chance to do some really bad Europop dancing with my crab claws on. Marvellous!

How would you describe your show as a colour, and why?
Red. Red noses for the clowns, puppets, and the quest. Red because the show has heart. Red for fun and red for anarchy.

Describe a moment during the production process that felt magical or transformative.
There were many moments during the process, but when we added the original soundtrack (composed by Angus McCloud) and started to feel sections come together, that was great. Gemma Bond and Katy-Anne Bellis, our other performers, are wonderful devisers and makers, so there were many moments when things just grew from a tiny idea into something really special. There is a climactic encounter at the end, but I don’t want to give too much away!

Is this the show’s first time on stage?
No, we’ve just completed a lovely Christmas run of the show at Theatre Porto in Ellesmere Port. We made the show in association with them, and they were brilliant partners.

Are there any plans for what comes next after this tour?
We would love to start taking our work abroad. Creating visual, non-verbal theatre allows us to play anywhere and to anyone, so it would be fantastic to move our work into international festivals and spaces and to collaborate with companies with a passion for making similar work.

What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career, and how has it influenced this show?
Don’t be boring. It influences everything we create at Goofus. It should influence all theatre makers.


Thank you to Paul for talking to us, something they don’t do on stage!

The Tale of Nobody Nose is touring from the 25th January until 30th March, including the Half Moon Theatre in London on the 1st February.

Further information about Goofus Theatre, tour dates and booking are available here.

Everything Theatre

Everything Theatre is proud to support fringe theatre, not only in London but beyond. From reviews to interviews, articles and even a radio show, our work is at the heart of the industry, and we are official assessors for the Off West End OffComm awards. Founded in 2011 as a pokey blog run by two theatre enthusiasts, today we are staffed by diverse contributors - people who not only work in theatre, but also in law, medicine, marketing and even psychiatry! We are all united by our love for theatre.

Related Articles

Back to top button